Where else could you find vibrant art, $3 beers and Tinker Bell and Betty Boop on keyboard and guitar except at a local Halloween themed art show? Art shows in Orange County bring an incredibly strong sense of DIY culture to the community and allow local arts to get recognition for their talent. There is a mutual respect among artists and while their art may be vastly different, their goals are the same – to endlessly create. As Thoreau once put it, “This world is but a canvas to our imagination.”
Konsept, a local art collective in SanTana, hosted Music & Boos in order to raise money for their annual art and music festival that will take place Nov. 4-7 this year. From the looks of the fundraiser, there will be plenty of works to feast your eyes on and music to groove to.
Local artists who were featured in the event included Christopher Perez, Beverly Salas, Ashly Grey and henna by Ashley Dinh.
Perez had a plethora of Halloween inspired works that included Nosferatu, pumpkins, bats, ghosts and skulls. It fit the ambience that “Music & Boos” was going for – totally spooky.
Salas, who might be better recognized as “Art by Beverly”, showcased the kind of peculiar art you'd find on Tumblr with hundreds of thousands of notes. Eyes, Frida Kahlo, sunflowers and sad girls are her trademark.
“I really love her artwork. It's so eccentric and so cool,” a guy said flipping through Salas' scrapbook. He later mentioned he would've bought a piece of hers had he not been broke.
It seems like everyone is a sucker for watercolor art. After catching a glimpse of Grey's art, I, much like the guy from earlier in the night, was bummed to be livin' la vida broka. Grey had many drawings of creatures, both real (foxes, owls) and mystic (dragons), as well as coloring pages she made herself. She also used fluorescent paint to add cats, pumpkins and bats on figures that resembled coffins.
There were additional works – watercolor paintings of flowers and nature, DIY bracelets, miniature heart pillows made by Wendy R. Lopez and pins. There was also a raffle for guests to win prizes.
Each of the music acts, KIKE, Lauren Rowe and Friends, New Balance, and DZY.D brought their own sort of energy to the stage. The crowd heard a variety of genres – from throwbacks and sick mixes, to indie and folk. Lauren Rowe and Friends brought a mellow, slow and seemingly romantic vibe and New Balance brought a folk-y, enchanting sound as a co-ed duo. The atmosphere of course changed when KIKE and DZY.D took the stage. At the night was coming to an end, nearly everyone was on their feet when DZY.D played “Cha-Cha Slide”- even a mother with green hair and her toddler had smiles plastered across their faces.
It was a complete shock that the place wasn't jam-packed with people by the end of the night and that there wasn't a long line for tacos (which were delicious, by the way). It didn't get nearly as much attention as it deserved. Regardless, it was uplifting to see everyone there so heavily involved with the event and support local artists.
Yvonne Villasenor is often in a sleep deprived daze daydreaming about ’90s heartthrobs, dogs, upcoming album releases, and what she’s going to eat for dinner. When she snaps back to reality, she writes about OC’s latest music and artists.